June 13, 2009

Baby Showers and First Birthdays

As milestones go, we help celebrate a lot of baby showers and first birthdays.

For baby showers, the mother-to-be, or grandmother-to-be often has her first chance to plan a party since the wedding, and goes all-out. It is almost always the FIRST child or grandchild that gets the biggest shower cake. Given this predisposition to abundant planning, there are literally dozens, if not hundreds of sets of matching napkins, plates, table covers, etc. created for just such an occasion, and available for purchase on the internet or at party stores.

So we are often asked to join in the game and match the cake to the decor.
After all, they do it all the time on Ace of Cakes, right? Never mind
that Duff and his staff at Charm City Cakes charge a MINIMUM of $1000 for a cake in Maryland. Our
customers in Tuscaloosa have no intention of spending anywhere that amount, but want
the same results. This is the fondant-covered cake (left) we created to go with the napkin on the right.

After all that fun for the baby shower, somehow the new mom still has enough energy for the first birthday bash and photo op. Babies are not SUPPOSED to eat cake at twelve months, but no worries as there is nothing as cute as a photo of your little one making a big mess with his or her own personal "smash" cake. And the sugar high lasts for hours.

The smallest cake we make is a single layer 6-inch round ($17), but we also offer a large 4-inch cupcake ($1.75) that we ice upside-down to look like a small cake. I'm always amazed how many spring for the for the larger baby cake. It makes a much bigger mess, so I guess it is worth it...

So this was the "Happy 1st Birthday" cake for today, complete with gum paste letters and a cookie-on-a-stick. The invitation also had cut-out letters, stars and balloons.